Reunion
by TaverenGaidon
Summary: Based off the alternate ending to Angel Beats! Otonashi has chosen to stay and guide those who were like his friends; and now he hopes to see his friend's again. Angel x Otonashi, Yui x Hinata, rated T for slight swearing. Mostly Otonashi's POV
The sun drifted through the windows of the Student Council room, illuminating a man with stark red hair, arms crossed as he looked at the door to the room with a silent contemplation. The room was brightly lit, but the atmosphere inside seemed to suggest a silent suffering, a mourning of sorts. This man sat there, until the door slowly began to creak open. Joy and hope and light began to fill his face, until a blonde haired student poked his head through the door, eyes somewhat bright with curiosity.

"Ah...Otonashi?" The student asked, stepping into the room with a small step. Unbeknownst to him, Otonashi's hope had faded, reverting back to slight disappointment. The redhead let out a small sigh and met the blonde's eyes, his lips curling into a small smile. Well, this was it, this is what he had to do.

"Welcome to the Student Council room, here you'll learn how to pass on." How many times has he sat here, repeating the same words to different students. How many times have they left, and he had stayed, clinging to a hope some dared say impossible. Too long, an eternity and he hadn't met any of them. It caused a bitter taste in his mouth, god's way of saying that he had chosen the wrong choice. "I assume that you already know what to do, I'm only here to help you."

"I...yeah, well I just couldn't stand that damned teacher again. None of them know what I'm talking about…" The boy shifted slightly, moving to take one of the chairs opposite Otonashi. The anger that had been inside him in class disappeared, falling back to a icy cool. He was still pondering the use of this world, and why he was here. He was dead after all, and wanted to get stuff done, but he had found himself drawn to this room, why?

"NPC's, that's why. They populate the school, and are different from us. They don't, well, die." Otonashi fumbled for something, before nodding in satisfaction. The blonde boy stuttered in astonishment as the redhead drew forth a pistol and aimed it directly at the student's head. "Like this." Before the student could move, the gun fired, and all went black.

It was dark when James woke up, or well, fell out of his chair. His body collided with the wooden floor, a small grunt leaving him. How was he alive? The damned student council president just shot him...and he was still alive. Speaking of the president, where was he? The room was dark, the moonlight drifting in through the shades, but other than that it was completely dark within the room. Slowly, James pushed himself up and let out a low groan. His head hurt, like a headache but worse...probably an after effect of being shot in the head.

"Oh so you're awake, took you long enough." Otonashi's voice came from his right, where he was standing at the window, looking out at the courtyard below. The moonlight highlighted his stark red hair, the way it framed his face and illuminated his eyes. Those eyes, they were filled with a great longing, a sorrow so deep James almost couldn't comprehend. Someone he cared for had been lost...had he been waiting here ever since? But that was besides the point, he had shot him in the head!

"Why'd you shoot me? No better yet, why aren't I dead?" The boy rubbed the back of his head, not finding an opening, just the faint trace of blood. It was...weird, and didn't make sense. Although, not much made sense in this damned world anymore.

"Because it was to prove that you'd live, even when you should be shot. I mean, I died from…" The redhead trailed off slightly, his features growing cold as that same pain flashed across his face. Painful memories that he tried so hard to repress, memories that he couldn't push back. "It's not important. Look, just go to bed, we can talk in the morning. " With that, Otonashi waved James away, going to sit back down in his seat.

James stood there, mouth opening slightly as he tried to force out words he couldn't form. Who was this person who just ordered him around? He wanted to stand up to him...but he had offered help. James let out a soft breath, before turning and heading out the door. This guy...well, hopefully they could talk tomorrow. And, you know, not die.

Otonashi watched James leave, sighing softly as he tilted his head to look up at the ceiling. How many people had he guided out of this world? How long had he stayed here? How many times did he see a new arrival, and wish that it was her, or them. He just wanted to see them again, to be with them, to laugh with them 'Kanade..' His thoughts always seemed to go back to her, going back to the girl he had saved, the girl he loved. He had wanted to stay here with her, but of course fate had chosen differently. She had left, and he was stuck here all alone. Somedays he wanted to end the pain, but then he was reminded of the people he had sworn to guide. People like James, who needed help, who came to him. So he couldn't leave, doomed to extend his existence even longer.

Deciding not to mope anymore, Otonashi turned his head towards the window, looking up at the moon in a kind of wonder. It had looked like that when he first came here, hadn't it? Bright, illuminating the entire school with a kind of silver light. That was when he had met Yurippe, and Kanade, and died for that first time. Maybe, well he should look around the school grounds. Maybe someone new came in, it felt like one of those nights after all.

Otonashi slipped out of the dark room and headed down the hallway, hands slipped into the pockets of his slacks. A small, if unnoticeable, smile crossed his face. It was a peaceful night, with having met James and all that. Of course, he had been watching James ever since the boy had arrived. It should only be a few days before he had found his own way, and moved on. Of course some always tended to stay just a tad longer, if to enjoy their time here. He wouldn't mind it if James remained, though they'd need to learn more about each other. Or maybe James would resent him, and form another Battlefront, only against him this time. He laughed softly at the thought, gently stepping out onto the campus once more. That would be amusing; he could be the new angel, and face off against another group of kids. It'd be...well, it gave him an excuse to stay, and that was always good.

The air felt warm, a slight breeze making it feel alive with a kind of buzz. It strangely felt like the night he had arrived here, maybe he could find a dark haired girl shooting at a pale-haired one. His lips curled into a small amused smirk, yeah, that'd totally happen. Well...maybe one day, far into the future. He kicked a small rock on the way, simply wandering towards the baseball fields. Every time he went out on one of these late-night walks, he found himself attracted to that place. Maybe it was because Yui had disappeared there, and it was so important to Hinata. 'Maybe we should hold a ball tournament...though it'd be mainly NPC's. It wouldn't be...fun. Maybe James would participate, he could be on my team.' It was only the distinct smacking of a baseball against a bat that snapped him out of his thoughts. His eyes narrowed slightly, who would be out at this hour? He sped up his pace, arriving at one of the corners of the field, his mouth opening to yell, "Hey! Wha-" He cut off as he caught sight of something he would never see again.

Blue hair, blue eyes, the way he swung the bat...Hinata. He was currently playing a small game of baseball with another familiar figure. Pink hair, dressed like a punk rock demon...Yui. How were they there? Why were they there? Was he hallucinating? They surely couldn't have shown up here, what were the odds? Hinata hit one more ball, before turning to look over at Otonashi, a bright smile spreading across his lips.

"Yo! Long time no see, Otonashi!" Hinata called back, eyes closing slightly as he smiled. Them, he slammed backward as a baseball hit him, forcing him to the ground.

"Moron! Aren't you supposed to be good at baseball or something like that?" Yui laughed, having gone to throw another ball when Hinata wasn't looking. She seemed exactly like Yui, energetic, with a kind of focus on teasing Hinata. She then turned to regard Otonashi, a bright smile making it's way onto her lips. "Oh hey!" She was about to say something more, before she was tackled by Hinata. The two began arguing and wrestling on the ground, though there wasn't any actual irritation to the words. More like...affection, a tender warmth that laid over everything they said to each other.

Otonashi just stared at the two of them, blinking as they fought. It was really them, but how? They should have fulfilled their childhoods, they should have fulfilled their lives. Besides, enough time had passed to where they should have forgotten each other. How were they here; and how were the exact same? He took a step forward, towards the fighting pair, disbelief still in his eyes. "H-how are you two still here?"

The fighting stopped for a brief moment, with Yui straddling Hinata. One hand had grabbed the collar of his shirt, balling it up in her small fist. Her other arm was raised to playfully punch him in the shoulder, though she curiously turned towards Otonashi. "Hm? We're dead aren't we?"

Hinata was taking the moment to relax, reclining on his forearms as he also looked up at Otonashi. "Yeah dude, we're dead."

Otonashi blinked, before rubbing his eyes. This didn't make any sense. "No I mean how are the two of you...you? You should be different, I mean you got reincarnated, obliterated…" They had all gone, on the graduation day. It had been a happy day, seeing all of them leave, though the sorrow soon hit him a few days later. He was all alone in this world...with no friends. Was this how Kanade felt?

"Oh, that. Well, me and Yui always manage to find each other...and I guess the same thing applies here? Don't ask me man, I'm not an expert on it." Hinata took the chance and tried to push Yui off of him, though her knee came down and pushed him back own.

Yui shifted slightly so she didn't crush Hinata with her her weight, and so that she could face Otonashi a bit better. She tilted her head slightly, her lips pursing as she considered him. "Yeah, me and him just seem to stick together. Not something we understand, but hey, it works." She giggled lightly as she pushed off of Hinata's body, gently hugging Otonashi before taking a step back. "You look different, like you're the student council president."

Before Otonashi could speak, Hinata rose and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, quickly meeting his eye. He knew, or he could guess. That was just what Otonashi would do. Yawning slightly, Hinata grabbed Yui and pulled her a little ways down the field, winking towards Otonashi. "Well, whatever happened, we're here. Might as well enjoy ourselves right? Have fun, Mr. Student Council President." With that, Yui punched Hinata's shoulder and started down towards the dorms, with Hinata following close after.

Otonashi blinked; two of his friends had shown up out of nowhere, had said that they stayed together, and were now running to the dorms? But why had Hinata winked at him at him? He wasn't that kind of person to do that...that's what he assumed anyway. But, if they were here...Otonashi crossed the field and headed towards the courtyard of the campus. He had to check, he had to.

Otonashi came to a standstill at the top of the stairs, looking down at the small fountain area. There stood a small girl, with pale white hair and golden eyes. Her head was angled up towards the moon, and from here he could hear the song she was humming. 'My Song?' He thought to himself, as he started running down the stairs, tears in the corners of his eyes. There she was, Kanade...her soul, his heart. He reached out and tapped her shoulder, upon which she turned her head to smile at him. "Yuzuru, it's nice to meet you again."


End file.
